Debunking 19 TikTok Travel Hacks

Are all TikTok “travel hacks” even real? Obviously not! We’ll tell you which TikTok hacks are good, bad, or not even a hack at all.

In this episode, we are debunking travel hacks that make us cringe. Listen to our “flight attendant-approved,” real-life advice and practical hacks that will make your trip safer and more comfortable.

Don't believe everything that you see on TikTok. As responsible passengers, it is essential to do your research before every trip, ask advice from experienced travelers (like us), and prioritize everyone's safety—including your own.

Laugh, cringe, and learn proper travel etiquette with the Galley Gang!

Episode Highlights:
[0:00] Welcome to Episode #39!
[1:34] Drew & the martini hack
[4:14] Rich’s spidey-sense moment
[5:25] The pilot’s Wordle
[9:32] TikTok Hack #1 - Should we wear pajamas inflight?
[10:24] TikTok Hack #2 - Empty water bottles
[13:26] TikTok Hack #3 - Packing cubes to organize your suitcase
[16:12] TikTok Hack #4 - Hoodie suitcases
[18:41] TikTok Hack #5 - Rolled clothes are space savers
[19:21] TikTok Hack #6 - Pillowcases to avoid baggage fees
[20:59] TikTok Hack#7 - Fragile stickers on bags
[23:33] TikTok Hack #8 - Cheaper flights on Tuesdays
[24:22] StaffTraveler, our ultimate travel partner
[26:49] TikTok Hack #9 - Clearing cache for lower prices
[27:56] TikTok Hack #10 - Luggage pic before checking it
[28:36] TikTok Hack #11 - AirTags on checked bags
[30:01] TikTok Hack #12 - Bringing own snacks
[33:07] TikTok Hack #13 - Shoe bag for dirty laundry 
[34:13] TikTok Hack #14 - Disinfectant wipes
[34:52] TikTok Hack #15 - Compression socks on long flights
[35:22] TikTok Hack #16 - Powerbanks & portable chargers 
[36:27] TikTok Hack #17 - Cooking food in coffee makers?
[37:33] TikTok Hack #18 - Skipping the line with a wheelchair
[39:00] TikTok Hack #19 - Mini fans vs. hot cabins

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Transcript

Welcome to Episode #39!

SPEAKER_01 0:00

She comes on and the the sweatshirt is full of stuff to the point where like I can see the outline of like an iPad, I can see where her keys are, I see there's a like probably a Stanley in there. Not the Stanley. Not the Stanley. This guy brought on a full-on flat screen TV and tried to plug it in. And this is before we had outlets on our planes, and he was like pissed because he wanted to watch a movie.

SPEAKER_02 0:23

Somebody had a tackle box full of snacks, and I pushed them over, and I was I sat down next to him and I was like, what do we have here?

SPEAKER_01 0:42

I don't know about you, but I am getting so tired of opening up TikTok and seeing these travel hacks, especially the people that are like a flight attendant taught me this. Because as a flight attendant of 13 years now, I no the hell we didn't. No one told you that they did. They're not a flight attendant anymore. They got fired for giving out crappy advice. Yeah, I every time I see it, I just cringe because it always starts off with like the most awkward thing that I'm like, there's no way, and I get that it's good for engagement, but I'm like liars, lies, the lies, right? It's so such lies, so many lies out there. So today we are going to debunk some TikTok myths and tell you about the trends that are good, bad, and just frankly not right.

SPEAKER_02 1:33

You

Drew & the martini hack

SPEAKER_02 1:34

know what's funny is that my rant for this week actually fits right into this. So before I ask you how your flying is going, I'm gonna tell you how your flying is going. Oh my god. So I'm standing there and I'm doing a trash walk after doing service, right? And the next thing I know, I see a little cup of olives, a little cup of olive juice come out, and then I you know how your spidey senses go up, and you're like, um I'm immediately seeing it. What are you doing? This is sending me uh what are you doing? Um, so I'm standing in the aisle doing trash, and I was just I stopped at this row, and there was blue cheese, and there was olives, and there was a little bottle of olive brine, and there was some ice, and I was like, no, I said, we're not doing this today. And he was like, excuse me. And I said, just so you know, I said, I serve this row, and I know for a fact that you all didn't order any alcohol. So while I really want you to enjoy your snack and your shot of olive juice, if there is a bottle of vodka that comes out that is a federal offense, you do have to purchase the alcohol from the flight attendant. So I'm happy for you to make your martinis, but if you thought you were gonna like sneak one bias and make your own, you can't do that today. And he was like, Oh my god, no, we're just having a little snack. And I was like, right, right, right. You saw this build your own martini thing on TikTok and you thought you could get away with it. And he just started laughing at me and I said, So the minis of vodka that you packed, you can keep those away. If you really want to do this, this uh martini hack that you learned on uh uh Instagram or um TikTok, please, please purchase the alcohol the right way. And he was like, No, that's not what we're doing.

SPEAKER_01 3:10

And so the rest of the flight, I just saw them eating olives, and I was like, I love olives, but also, what were you planning on doing with the olive brine? Well, I mean, we all know, and I can't tell if I'm like applauding this hustle or if I'm like, you're annoying, do something else with your free time. Like, I because I get it, like, okay, you're making this cute little thing, and you wanna, you know, scale up your in-fight cocktail. But yeah, the bringing your own alcohol is a major no, uh major red flag. And I don't know, but also, I mean, if you're gonna buy the alcohol on the plane, right?

SPEAKER_02 3:47

Good for you. Have your martini. That's not what I'm saying. I'm like, actually, you pulled all of these things out without like doing anything, it's just a red flag for us. Like, spidey sensors are going, we're trying to figure out what you're doing over here. It was it was just one of those days, and I was like, TikTok sent you the wrong way. Good start, but here's how you need to take TikTok and translate it into real life. So this is how this works on the airplane. I don't know what TikTok told you, but here we are.

SPEAKER_01 4:13

I

Rich’s spidey-sense moment

SPEAKER_01 4:14

had one of those Spidey Sense moments recently, too, because it was like, Oh, can I have like a flavored seltzer? And I was like, Okay, and lots of ice, okay. And a stir stick. No, and I was like, and what will the stir stick be for? And she looked at me and she was like, Oh, I just I just really like to um to uh um to to stir stir your club soda, yeah. Oh, tell me more about that, and um, she's like, and any limes if you have it. And I was like, ma'am, no, you gotta pay for your own adventure. You cannot build your own adventure. And it's like you start to see the little signs, and you're like, I'm gonna, I'm, I'm, we're not doing this today. Right. Like, not on my floor. Right. Um, so yeah, I completely understand that.

SPEAKER_02 5:03

What's that saying my dad always gave? I may have I may have been born at night, but I wasn't born last night. I always thought he was stupid. It was such a dumb saying.

SPEAKER_01 5:13

I don't know that one, and I thought I was pretty good with dad jokes. That's yeah, I may have been born at night, but I wasn't born last night. Oh my god. Dad jokes, pilot jokes, they're all they're all the same. They're all the same.

The pilot’s Wordle

SPEAKER_01 5:25

Is that how your week went? No, that was that was several months ago. My week was um, it was okay. It was kind of a mixed bag of flying where you're like, there wasn't really anything great, but there wasn't really anything bad. Um, but I did have this. So you just had a week of flying. Which is honestly so nice. A good week of flying when you're like, okay, I don't want too much to happen, but I don't want, you know, yeah. So, but I did have this really funny experience with a pilot who's non-reving. And I knew the second he walked on, like, I didn't have to look at my device, I didn't have to look at a passenger list. I was like, pilot, pay. Saw his new balances. Uh yeah, his palm tree polo shirt with his khaki cargo shorts, um and his new balances. It gave a pretty clear.

SPEAKER_02 6:13

I want to say I'm sorry, pilots, but I'm not. I'm unapologetic about this.

SPEAKER_01 6:16

And I don't get me wrong, I love pilots, I love all of them dearly, but not all of them, not all of them. You're right. Wait, redact that. But not all of them. But the good pilots know these pilots that we're talking about. Right. Like I know that you're all aware. You share talk to me about the fact that we talk about them. Like you share a very tiny room with them. Um, but anyways, he came on. I just knew he was a pilot, and he's sitting in the very last row, and he's got like his girlfriend or somebody, someone who she yeah, she's putting up with his antics, whatever. I won't judge them too harshly, even though I definitely already did. Um, but I'm laughing because he opens up Wordle on his phone, and this is like the beginning of boarding, so I'm standing in the back. I already know it was standing in the back and I'm looking down the aisle, like waiting for passengers to come. And I look down at his phone, and of course, what is his first word in Wordle? It's either plane or pilot. It's pilot. How did I do? And I was laughing so hard because what does a pilot love to do? Talk about themselves, tell people they're pilots. Yeah, and so we're like up in the air, we're doing the service, and we're finishing up, and um, he hasn't said he was crew or anything, but uh the signs were everywhere, everywhere, and um I was like, So you're a pilot? Do you fly for us or somebody else? And he was like, like he looked like like someone just recognized him from a movie, and he was so excited to talk about this. Well, happy to tell you and he was like, How did you know I was a pilot? And I said, Well, there were a lot of clues, but I saw your first wordle was um pilot, and the girlfriend chimes in immediately. Like she was she was so checked out of this conversation. But the second I said that, she goes, Every single day, every damn day, it's pilot. I'm like, it's not pilot, the word is not pilot, and I was laughing. I'm like, good luck on this vacation, YouTube. That's funny, but yeah, they were cracking me up because it's just it was a great interaction, and I love moments like that that just where work is fun.

SPEAKER_02 8:25

I also love when pilots pilot for you, right?

SPEAKER_01 8:29

Right. Like, thanks for proving everything I've ever said about you to be correct.

SPEAKER_02 8:34

We don't like flight attendant stereotypes, but thank you for proving every flight pilot stereotype to be true at the moment.

SPEAKER_01 8:40

And at some point, we're gonna have pilots on the show and we're gonna talk about some of these because I agree, some of them are unfair. Yeah. There's amazing pilots out there, yeah. Oh two or three of them. So some of them just make themselves easy targets, and I uh it is what it is, but um, so this week we're talking about travel hacks, TikTok hacks, and we've touched on this in a couple other episodes, but people keep saying you should do like a debunking episode. So here we are. We made a list of some of the best TikTok travel hacks that were supposedly given to someone by a flight attendant. We all know that's I'm so mad about it. Stop using my name for clout. Um, so we're gonna go through the list and we're gonna tell you if we think this is a good hack, a bad hack, or not a hack anyone should ever be using. Um,

TikTok Hack #1 - Should we wear pajamas inflight?

SPEAKER_01 9:32

so first up on the list, wearing pajamas on the plane for comfort. I don't know if this is so much a hack as like just a weird trend people are doing now. I get being comfortable, but wearing full-on pajamas, I'm I'm torn. I don't know.

SPEAKER_02 9:49

I feel like unless you are under the age of five, pajamas on an airplane are it's just not cool anymore. Um so I I get wanting to be comfortable, but with so many athleisure options these days, I think you can be comfortable and still look like a grown-up that didn't um you could that's it. That's the end of my sentence. You can still be comfortable and not look like a grown-up.

SPEAKER_01 10:12

That's all. That's all I have to say about it. No, I would fully agree with that statement. Um, I comfort there's so many options now to look stylish and not look like a child. Period.

TikTok Hack #2 - Empty water bottles

SPEAKER_02 10:24

Um bringing an empty water bottle to fill after security. Um, personally, I think it's a genius hack.

SPEAKER_01 10:31

As a flight attendant who is constantly getting water bottles handed to me though to fill up, this hack annoys me in a way because fill it up in the airport. Yes. Like we have such a limited resource amount of resources on the plane.

SPEAKER_02 10:48

And like that's why I love it. If you're gonna stop and use a water filling station and bring your own water on the airplane, I love it. Yes. For the reasons that you're mentioning it, I hate it. Don't ask me to fill your water bottle, I don't have the resources, and also don't throw your big ass water bottle into the overhead bin because that shit's gonna fall and knock somebody on the head, and those bottles are like metal and heavy and not made. So, like if you're gonna be smart and responsible about bringing your water bottle, bring it. It's a genius travel hack because everyone needs water and there's not enough on the plane to like supply your 52-gallon need for water that you just came up with.

SPEAKER_01 11:23

But like you're you brought a trash barrel on and expected us to fill it up with our 12 tiny little water bottles. Okay, but no, I I this is definitely one of those hacks where it's like the there it comes with a caveat. It's like, okay, yes, please bring your bottle, but please fill it up before you get on the plane. Um, plus, you know, then you have a water and then you can order something else during the service, and you've got all your little beverages, it's the best way to go. But fill that bottle before you get on the plane.

SPEAKER_02 11:48

Do not throw it in the bin because it's either gonna leak or fall on somebody.

SPEAKER_01 11:51

So, like, do the smart thing with your the leaking is the worst because, well, I mean, there it's all bad. Hitting people in the head is obviously a bad thing. It's worse. Sometimes, but the sometimes they do. No, I'm kidding, I'm totally joking. Right. Depends who it falls on. Um, pilot? No, I'm kidding. Um, but the the leaking drives me crazy because I had this happen recently and it's it's leaking all over this guy, and uh, he rings his call bell, which first of all kills me. Like he's just sitting there with it leaking on it, yeah, and he's like, What's going on? And I was like, I have no idea. Let's try it.

SPEAKER_02 12:26

Someone was like, it was on like uh not it was on um formerly known as Twitter. Um the dude was just sitting there watching water, and he was like, I can't believe the airline's airplane is broke, and just allowing me to like allowing water to like rain on me. And I was like, that's nothing to do with the airplane, that's a water bottle.

SPEAKER_01 12:44

It killed me because this man was just sitting underneath it, being like, What's going on? And I opened the bin, and sure enough, it's someone's water bottle just rolling around, leaking all over the place. And so I like run and grab napkins and I'm cleaning it up, and I was like, Whose water bottle is this? We found the culprit, and he was just like, he was like, This is unbelievable. Like, what are you gonna compensate me for this? And I was like, for cleaning your t-shirt. No, like first of all, I didn't do anything. You should ask, you should ask that guy, it's his water bottle. Just yeah, that hack. It's a great hack, but apparently used responsibly. Used responsibly. Um, next

TikTok Hack #3 - Packing cubes to organize your suitcase

SPEAKER_01 13:26

up is using packing cubes to organize your suitcase.

SPEAKER_02 13:29

Oh my god, I love them. I love them so much. I'm a die hard uh packing cuber, and I just got those vacuum seal ones, the ones that you like seal up and then vacuum the air out of, and those are really great if you're not like they're I think it's a summer clothes one for me, not a winter clothes thing, but they worked really well too. I really love them. I know.

SPEAKER_01 13:49

I slipped on one in the guest room the other day. I'm sorry, it's okay. Um, they're transparent, so I didn't see it, but no, I I was really torn on the packing cube hack for so long, like it just felt like it didn't really do that much. But then when it came to like organizing specific types of clothing, and especially since we've been doing group travel, it's been really great for like okay, we're gonna be in this part of Egypt for three days, and then we're gonna be in this part of Egypt for three days. I know I want these outfits here, and these outfits are more for this vibe. So, like, you put things kind of section off your trip if you're going to different places, and this is really your hack. You taught me this, and I think it's genius. I did. You did. This is my hack. This is your this is your version of the case. Loosen up, friends. This is my hack. But like the packing cube thing, that's what really changed it for me is I was like, this is so practical because then you're not repacking your entire suitcase every time looking for that one shirt.

SPEAKER_02 14:47

Like, yeah, I don't put like shirts in one packing cube or pants in another packing cube. I pack based on destination. So I put like three days worth of clothes in one so that like if we have to fold up and leave, like I've just emptied this one packing cube and everything goes back into it, so everything can go back into the suitcase and you zip real quick and roll right versus like oh shit, I've unpacked half of my suitcase and I don't know what to do. But you know, which it is very climate dependent, um, which is helpful.

SPEAKER_01 15:17

But it's so helpful. I mean, we went from like the warmth of the desert of Egypt to the mountains of Romania, yeah. And it was like obviously I'm not gonna need the shorts in Romania, right? And I'm not gonna need this big heavy jacket.

SPEAKER_02 15:31

That just stayed in a packing tube until I needed it. And then when you're moving between, you know, particularly when we're on trips or whatever, we tend to move through destinations or hotels. Like we'll go to this city for a couple days in Egypt and that city for a couple days. Um, Egypt, it was really helpful, and that's really where it dawned on me that we should do this because we actually left our baggage behind and we just took a duffel bag because we were like, it was really easy. It was like you won't take a packing cube, throw it in your backpack, and we're gone for a couple days. Yeah, it was and then you don't come back to your full suitcase. It was really, it really helped a lot. So big fan of packing cubes for a lot of reasons, but it's a good hack. Oh wait, it's my turn. Um, have

TikTok Hack #4 - Hoodie suitcases

SPEAKER_02 16:12

you seen these hoodie suitcases that either have the backpack um built in on the back or like the whole inside is just like if you unzip it, you open it up? It's like a zip pocket. I please don't. It's so stupid.

SPEAKER_01 16:29

It's really it's just crazy to me because I first of all love an outfit with pockets because I love having a place for items. I like sometimes not having a big bag. But it has like shoe holes. Well, that's exactly it. What are you doing? That's exactly it. Like, we're not why are we trying to fit a whole suitcase? This is not like a get around the airlines rules kind of hack. I mean, that's what they make it look like though, and it's so silly. I know, but that's why I think it's so stupid. Just bring a bag.

SPEAKER_02 16:59

You know what you need, and so you have to pay for your check bag these days, or so you have to pay for a carry-on. Like you knew the airline that you chose, you knew what you need to go on your trip. Like, just budget those things, like trying to get around with all of these like new fangled ideas. First of all, it's uncomfortable. And if you wear a hoodie with your shoes in it, I'm gonna make you sit on it because it's not going in my overhead bin.

SPEAKER_01 17:23

You didn't pay for it. Yeah, the amount of pockets in that. Like, I had this girl the other day, and I will never forget her face. She was wearing one of those hoodies with like the matching sweatpants, and it was this like um bright, like yellow color, and she looked like a peep, honestly. And she she comes-totally know who you're talking about. Yeah, she comes on, and the the sweatshirt is stuffed full of stuff to the point where like I can see the outline of like an iPad, I can see where her keys are. I see there's a like probably a Stanley in there. Like, there's all these things, not the Stanley, not the Stanley. It was, it was right front and center, too. I was like, what the hell is this girl doing? And um I couldn't resist. And I was like, Oh, no bags, huh? You pack light, and she was like, Yeah. And she was like so proud of herself. She was. I was like, girl, how much does that sweatshirt weigh? And she's like, Well, what are you talking about? Like, she thought she was fooling everybody, and I was like, I like is there a tent in there?

SPEAKER_02 18:28

Like now you get to sit, beach chairs, now you get to sit in it for four hours or whatever. Don't do it. It's don't don't yeah, it's such a just pack your suitcases, just package just be normal, please.

SPEAKER_01 18:39

Please be normal. Um,

TikTok Hack #5 - Rolled clothes are space savers

SPEAKER_01 18:41

rolling clothes instead of folding to save space. I've always loved this one, I've always agreed with this one. It really does help. It also, I feel like, makes things less wrinkled because everything's kind of rolled and smoothed out anyway. So yeah, I the way the different articles of clothing are shaped. Like, I feel like it's so helpful to do this and just kind of wedge things in and organize that way.

SPEAKER_02 19:03

Uh, if I'm not using pack and cubes, everything is rolled, but nothing's folded. So you like packing cubes? I do like packing cubes. Are you getting it? Um, if I'm not using packing cubes, this is a hack that I um totally agree with. 100% roll your clothes. It makes so much more sense for packing.

TikTok Hack #6 - Pillowcases to avoid baggage fees

SPEAKER_02 19:21

Uh using a pillowcase to carry extra clothes to avoid baggage fees.

SPEAKER_01 19:26

This annoys me maybe even more than the hoodie. Because it's a bag at this point. You have a sack of clothes. And I'm gonna make you check it.

SPEAKER_02 19:38

Uh, we've talked about this before. I think it was in our very first episode, but it's not even the suitcase, it's when they take the neck pillow and unzip it and like put underwear in it. It's so weird. Right. And I'm gonna say the exact same thing I said way back then. Like, what do you do on the way home? Because now you're just sleeping on your underwear. Seriously, like it's gross. Yeah, yeah. I don't it's a no for me.

SPEAKER_01 20:05

That's a no hack, obviously. I'm not really a neck pillow fan in general.

SPEAKER_02 20:10

Even if you pack in your in your pillowcase, you still are like tempted to sleep on it. And going is fine because it's all clean, but what are you doing with all that dirty stuff coming home? I no, I couldn't deal with the smell.

SPEAKER_01 20:25

Well, and even taking the clothes out of the out of the equation, like the people that bring full-size pillows from their bed onto an airplane, I'm like, please throw that away at the end of this trip. Yeah, because that's gross. Like, airplanes are disgusting. I saw it sitting in the airport on the floor, I saw it sitting on the seats. You rode the airport tram with that. Like this this pillow's been through it.

SPEAKER_02 20:49

I mean, as much as we clean our airplanes, it's still public transportation. Exactly.

SPEAKER_01 20:53

Exactly. So I am not really a fan of that.

SPEAKER_02 20:56

No, it's a no for me.

SPEAKER_01 20:58

Uh putting

TikTok Hack#7 - Fragile stickers on bags

SPEAKER_01 20:59

a fragile sticker on your bag so it gets handled more carefully. Does that work? Uh cancelled for maintenance or anybody uh other podcast, aviation podcast people that are maybe working on the ramp. Do you feel like this works? Do you do you see things down happening on the ramp that that that is working for people?

SPEAKER_02 21:22

I can't imagine that works. Yeah. Um, not because I don't think people don't see the fragile sticker, but I say it doesn't work because there's so many places in the airport where the baggage is out of a human's control. Right. Um the baggage baggage behind like getting it from the ticket counter to the like cart to take it to the airplane, like all of that is out of a human's control. So like your fragile sticker isn't even red. That's a good point. Um and I don't think a human while necessarily is like slinging your bag across, I think that it It's just it's an unrealistic expectation to believe that your bag is not going to be handled in a certain way. Yeah, I would agree. I mean, because it's a very just a fast-paced thing. Like you showed up to the airport an hour before your departure, you barely made it to the gate, and you don't think your bag got slung onto an airplane. Like, I just I sorry.

SPEAKER_01 22:22

Yeah, it's a very like automated process. Right. So you're absolutely right. Like it's maybe that one handler was like, ooh, fragile. Let me move it over here. But like it already got dropped off a cliff.

SPEAKER_02 22:33

I mean, even if it was your carry-on that you ended up having to check, like the system to we're all aware of what the system to get it from the jet bridge down to the like airplane looks like. It's a big slide. Yeah. I mean, we're 12 feet off the ground at the airplane. Like, it's a slide.

SPEAKER_01 22:53

They slide it down. And it's unrealistic to ask a human being to do that manually anyway, to like walk them up and down staircases like that. Like your 70-pound bag is being put on a slide, I promise. The rampers are already working their ass off to get so many rampers. They do such a great job. I know. We love the rampers, they do so many things that passengers and even flight attendants know nothing about sometimes. Um, and yeah, so shout out to the rampers for that. But don't put a fragile sticker on your bag. If anything, it probably makes them want to throw it more. Is this really breakable? How breakable.

SPEAKER_02 23:31

Uh okay,

TikTok Hack #8 - Cheaper flights on Tuesdays

SPEAKER_02 23:33

booking flights on Tuesday because they're supposedly cheaper.

SPEAKER_01 23:37

Again, stop asking your flight attendants.

SPEAKER_02 23:41

You know when the last time I bought a ticket? Actually, I just did just to buy them.

SPEAKER_01 23:47

Um, and we've only started doing it for group travel because we bought like three flight tickets in like in my life in the last like 25 years. And the only reason we're even buying tickets right now is because we're doing group travel. And if you want to come with this, please do to guys on a plane.com slash travel to look at upcoming trips. But the only reason we're even doing this right now is because we have to go. We like we host the trips, we can't not show up.

SPEAKER_02 24:12

But otherwise, and we're still trying to non-rev them. We are we are at least one um staff traveler on that one. Thank you for helping us get to all of these trips, honestly.

SPEAKER_01 24:21

Where

StaffTraveler, our ultimate travel partner

SPEAKER_01 24:22

staff traveler has gotten us to every trip so far. Even when it's come to buying the tickets, we're still using Staff Traveler to figure out who the hell's even flying there. We wouldn't have gotten to Thailand if it wasn't for Staff Traveler.

SPEAKER_02 24:33

I was gonna say their like routing network, their route tool that you explore, yeah. Root explorer tooler that they have. Um, it really helped us find where the airplane was coming from so that we knew like it's coming from Asia. So we're anyways, it's great.

SPEAKER_01 24:47

Because Philly was like shut down completely.

SPEAKER_02 24:49

Philly, New York, everywhere around us shut down New York, DC, we needed the airplane to be coming from somewhere else to and this a staff traveler really came in clutch that day.

SPEAKER_01 24:59

So we and they put a lot of like real-time details in there too. Like a lot of flight information is pulled into staff traveler, so it's not just checking flight loads, it really is looking at aircraft type, capacity, routing, airline, like you you name it, that information that you need to travel is in Staff Traveler.

SPEAKER_02 25:18

You know what else I really love about Staff Traveler is that they're just they're not just upgrading their app, they're also upgrading their website to match their app. So everything you can do on the app with like priority listing and everything, you can do that on the website now too. And with over a million users, it just it's so quick. Everything happens so immediately.

SPEAKER_01 25:36

Yeah, it's it's really nice when tools for flight crew and you know, standby travelers are created by the people who use them. Like staff traveler is are created by flight attendants or people who work that's what I mean. Yeah, like yes, it's run by a pilot. It was a concept created by a pilot because he was like, I see a void in the tech space for this particular tool. So it's like all these little updates and upgrades that they're doing are because they make sense. So like everything they do makes sense. See how there are pilots that we do like? Yes, we found at least one we like. Um, so yeah, go to stafftraveler.com/slash two guys to learn more about it and download the app. Uh, seriously, it'll change the way you travel.

SPEAKER_02 26:23

And that will tell you exactly how often we buy tickets. So we cannot tell you whether or not Tuesday or Wednesday or Saturday is a great day to buy tickets. I have no idea. I don't know about it.

SPEAKER_01 26:33

If you know though, feel free to text us. If you check the show notes, there's a link. You can text us. Tell us, we'll share it with the audience.

SPEAKER_02 26:39

For sure. If this is a good hack, we just we can't answer this one for sure because we non-rev literally everywhere we go.

SPEAKER_01 26:46

And this goes hand in hand with the next one, which is clearing

TikTok Hack #9 - Clearing cache for lower prices

SPEAKER_01 26:49

your cache or um deleting your cookies to make sure that the plight websites aren't tracking. Travel agents weigh in. Help figure this out. There is logic to this. So, like, I'm gonna say sure, like clear your cache, use a private browser so they know you know you're not searching. I feel like it's like Uber, you know, surcharges and stuff.

SPEAKER_02 27:09

Well, we know so many flight attendants who are travel agents, so travel agents weigh in. Tell us about booking tickets. Is this a real hack or not? We appreciate your feedback.

SPEAKER_01 27:18

Yes, and our friend Kira is a travel agent, and she just recently became a member of the Galley Gang on Patreon. Oh yeah. Thank you, Kira.

SPEAKER_02 27:26

Welcome to the Galley Gang, Kira.

SPEAKER_01 27:28

But she is a travel agent, and she would probably know the answer to this too. So, Kira, we should just phone her for Let us know. And if you too want to join the Galley Gang officially, of course, you're all part of the Galley Gang. But if you want to join officially, go to patreon.com slash two guys in a plane for more behind-the-scenes content and other fun things and merch and all sorts of goodies from us, and it helps support our show and makes this podcast happen. So thank you guys for supporting.

SPEAKER_02 27:54

Uh, okay, back to our list.

TikTok Hack #10 - Luggage pic before checking it

SPEAKER_02 27:56

I have actually never heard of this one, but taking a photo of your luggage before you check it, tell me more about this one.

SPEAKER_01 28:02

I I don't know. I haven't heard of people doing it too, but it also, I mean, it doesn't seem like it hurts anything. Like if your luggage comes out damaged, like everything's time stamped now. So you could potentially use it against the airline if your luggage comes back to you and is you know completely destroyed, and they're like, Well, that's how it came out. Like, but other things we don't do as check bags, so if it don't fit in a carry-on, I'm not taking it.

SPEAKER_02 28:27

So I can't help you with this check bag issue.

SPEAKER_01 28:29

I don't see why that would hurt. Yeah. So we'll say that's a good hack. Sure. I'll say it's a good one. Yeah.

TikTok Hack #11 - AirTags on checked bags

SPEAKER_01 28:36

Uh putting an air tag or tracker inside of your checked luggage. I know Andrew hates this one already. Tell me why.

SPEAKER_02 28:44

Um, I think that people think that it updates faster than it is, and I also think that people forget about like real world how many, like, um how many different modes of um communication are happening uh at an airport. So there's a lot of frequencies that are happening via radio or whatever. And I think that people think that the air tag updates in real time. And because the airport has so many things that like interfere with that thing, it it just doesn't update in real time. So your bag is on the plane. Um, and I don't know if you all know this, but I'm gonna tell you all, it's a surprise. But when you check your bag in, we get a list or the agents get a list, the rampagers get a list, they know how many bags you're checked in are supposed to be on the airplane, and we don't leave until all of those bags are loaded onto the airplane. Um, so when you scream at us and say, But my bag's still at the ticket counter, it's not. I promise they loaded the bags and your air tag will catch up, but like stop yelling at us about these air tags because there's way too much interference at airports.

SPEAKER_01 29:48

Well, I have no comment. It's a bad hack. It's a terrible one. Don't do it. You pretty much cover that one.

SPEAKER_02 29:56

Uh okay. Well, now that we learn that air tags are stupid for luggage, um, bring in your

TikTok Hack #12 - Bringing own snacks

SPEAKER_02 30:01

own stacks instead of relying on airport food.

SPEAKER_01 30:03

Oh, I love this hack. Um, people have this misconception that they're not allowed to bring their own food because TSA restrictions or whatever. And I'm like, no, that is liquid. Like you can bring a sandwich, you can bring a salad, you can do whatever. Like, you can't bring liquids, gels, or aerosols, but like bring food. I mean, we do it all the time. We pack protein bars, and I'm talking like not when we're flying as flight attendants, like, we always pack little snacks or pretzels or whatever the case may be. Like, don't spend $12 in an airport for a bag of pretzels when you can buy it at the store for like three bucks.

SPEAKER_02 30:39

I was flying the other day, and somebody had a tackle box full of snacks, and I pushed them over, and I was I sat down next to them and I was like, What do we have here? She was like, This is TikTok at its finest. It was like salami and cheese and candy and everything that they wanted. They just pulled out a whole tackle box worth of food, and I thought, You are gonna feed me today.

SPEAKER_01 31:04

I honestly think that's genius, and I know there's some people who are like, Okay, you went overboard, but I don't think you can go overboard when it comes to that sort of thing because air travel is so unpredictable. You never know when you're gonna hit a delay or a change in your travel plans, and you're gonna be grateful to have an extra snack or something on hand. And it's great for kids because you got the little compartments, they've got options and variety, and it makes it fun for them, it makes it nice for the adults too.

SPEAKER_02 31:32

And let's say you're on a flight that has a meal, right? Like a lot of them allow you to pre-order the meal now, you have dietary restrictions. We can't always meet those because what's loaded onto the airplane, once that door's closed, we have what they put on the airplane. We don't have extras, we don't have substitutes. So, I mean, if you know you have a specific dietary restriction, carrying your own food or snacks for that is really the way to go. Because if you have a nut allergy and the food that we're serving has uh nut crusted and they that's all they put on the airplane, they didn't take the nuts off of it. That's not something I can like go into a kitchen and make you a new piece of chicken. I'm not scraping the nuts off of it. Like we have what they loaded onto the airplane. Period. End of story. So, like, if you particularly if you have a dietary restriction, carry the type of food that you need to eat because you can't the buy-on board snacks, the meals that are loaded, like we're not gluten-free. And we try our best, we really try our best. I think the airlines try really hard to meet those, but mistakes happen and we don't have a way to correct them.

SPEAKER_01 32:42

Yeah, it's just not always realistic, too. Like you just never know when things are gonna go wrong with catering or airplanes get switched and catering doesn't swap. Exactly.

SPEAKER_02 32:52

There's a there's so many million ways that this can fail. And if you have what you need in your bag already, like it just carry on snacks, build you a tackle box full of food, it's a great hack. Totally approved.

TikTok Hack #13 - Shoe bag for dirty laundry

SPEAKER_01 33:07

Next up, using a shoebag to store dirty laundry. Um I don't know. Yeah, why not? Great. I think I think a dirty laundry bag in your bag is always a good idea. I sometimes use the ones that are in the hotel room, like the laundry bags that they give you if you want to send something out. I'll use that sometimes for like dirty socks and underwear. But I do like the idea of being more sustainable than that and having something to put your dirty stuff in. But to be honest, I don't know if people do this, but I use that like zipper pocket that sometimes is on the top part of the suitcase, and I shove all my dirty laundry in there. That way it's like that's my dirty compartment, and it always is, you know. And that seems to work really well.

SPEAKER_02 33:53

Yeah, I think we already gave away my packing hack. So I like put the dirty clothes back into the in the packing cube that I took them out of. So, I mean, if this is how you pack and a laundry bag works for you, go for it. I love your passion for packing cubes. I really do, it's beautiful. Um, next up we have bringing

TikTok Hack #14 - Disinfectant wipes

SPEAKER_02 34:13

disinfectant wipes to clean tray tables and armrests.

SPEAKER_01 34:18

I'm not a super germaphobe. I get why people do it, but like for me, it's the way they go about doing this sometimes that makes me laugh. Cause like they'll clean off their armrests and their seatbelt and their whatever. And then like the tray table. And then like dump their snack directly on the tray table, and I'm like, no amount of disinfectant wipe can save that tray table to be used as a plate. So I don't understand. But I mean, to each his own. You do you. It's less things I have to clean. You clean it for me.

SPEAKER_02 34:50

I'm good.

TikTok Hack #15 - Compression socks on long flights

SPEAKER_01 34:52

Use compression socks on long flights. I do sometimes. I haven't really noticed a difference if I'm being honest, but I know people that swear by them.

SPEAKER_02 35:03

Yeah. I just feel like this is a personal thing. If that's what you need and compression is what you need to then do it. You're not hurting anybody by wearing compression socks. That's that's not a travel hack that it bothers other people around you. So I'm gonna be like, do it if you want to. Right. Okay, so next one I have is

TikTok Hack #16 - Powerbanks & portable chargers

SPEAKER_02 35:22

bringing a portable charger or power bank.

SPEAKER_01 35:26

I like this one because I do it a lot, but a lot of airlines are increasing their restrictions with these, so it's kind of an iffy thing. Like I personally love it because you never know when there's gonna be an outlet on a plane, when it's gonna be broken, if there's gonna be power outlets in the airport somewhere that are available, but airlines are increasing their restrictions with these, and a lot of times it's required to be visible or it's not allowed to be used at all. So, as much as I do love them personally, if you're using them, make sure you look up your airline's restrictions because you might not be able to even have it on board, let alone use it.

SPEAKER_02 36:04

Yeah. I again I with you 100%. I think it's a great hack because you never know if things are gonna work or if they're even gonna have them. Um, but it is another lithium ion battery, so make sure that you understand how they work and your airline's policy regarding lithium ion batteries so you know where to take it and how to use it, so it'll just cut down on frustration in the long run.

SPEAKER_01 36:25

Uh, next up is using

TikTok Hack #17 - Cooking food in coffee makers?

SPEAKER_01 36:27

hotel coffee makers to cook food. You're disgusting. I'm sorry. I can't the the misuse of hotel amenities sometimes alarms me, and I'm sure we've all seen it. Speaking of TikTok and hacks, is the person who cleaned their underwear in the coffee pot. It's disgusting. So, like, don't don't use the things in the hotel rooms that they're not supposed to be used for.

SPEAKER_02 36:52

Things in the hotel room for the things they're supposed to be used in. If you need to like boil hot water over your ramen, that's what the coffee pot is made to do. Steaming salmon in the coffee basket. It's not what is right.

SPEAKER_01 37:05

No, exactly. Exactly. That is a perfect way to put it. And yeah, go use the hotel's microwave or ask for one or whatever the case may be. But like, stop using the iron to like heat up your aluminum foil food, like things like that are just so bizarre to me. Uh so weird. I love how crafty travelers are and flight attendants are, but there is such a thing as going too far. Yeah. And this can be very much one of those things.

SPEAKER_02 37:32

Uh, the

TikTok Hack #18 - Skipping the line with a wheelchair

SPEAKER_02 37:33

next one I have is asking for a wheelchair to skip security lines. Um, that's vile. That is just to say, if you don't actually need a wheelchair, don't ask for one. If you're in need of it, please use the services available to you. Uh, we want you to be comfortable and confident in your travel. Um, so use the services if you actually need it. But it's such a busy place and we wait so long for air wheelchairs. So if you don't need it, please, please don't.

SPEAKER_01 38:03

Yeah. People with disabilities just already have so much trouble getting the resources, especially in aviation, particularly in aviation. And it's so frustrating to even think about someone misusing a service like that when I see days where I'm sitting on a plane with someone who requested a wheelchair for an extra 20 minutes because the people that are pushing the wheelchairs around the airport are underpaid, overworked, and understaffed. And to think that someone is out there doing this when they don't even need that service, taking it away from someone who needs that service is so despicable, it's not even funny.

SPEAKER_02 38:45

Oh, it just makes my blood boil, but particularly because we we all know someone who who needs those services. Um, and I just how you don't think about that person when you're misusing it is beyond me. Agreed. Okay, I

TikTok Hack #19 -Mini fans vs. hot cabins

SPEAKER_02 39:00

think we're down to the last one.

SPEAKER_01 39:02

The last one, let's make it count. Um, bringing a mini fan for hot cabins. I've always got a minifan on me. I cannot stand a hot airplane, and when I'm not in charge of the temperature control, I got my fan out. And I don't care if that makes me look like uh never mind.

SPEAKER_02 39:22

When he says a mini fan, we mean the handheld ones, right? Like use it to your air vent to like get the cool air down to you. I have seen these people who bring like full stand fans. Oh, you're joking. No, I have pictures of it, it's insane. Full, like I'm actually offended by this. Fan, like oscillating fan. Don't do that. Don't bring an oscillating fan, bring a small handheld fan.

SPEAKER_01 39:49

We're fans of that. There are days where we talk about flying, and I'm like, we all have the same passengers. And today's one of those days where I'm like, who the hell is on your plane? They brought an oscillating fan with them. Oh, I can't even, I can't even, I don't know why I'm surprised because I worked a Santo Domingo flight once, and this guy brought on a full-on flat screen TV and tried to plug it in. And this is before we had outlets on our planes, and he was like pissed because he wanted to watch a movie. And I was like, Sir, your TV is the size of like three tray tables. My head hurts so bad. Yeah, it was wild. Don't Santo Domingo flights are a whole nother level.

SPEAKER_02 40:30

Um, so here's what we've learned today don't believe everything that you see on TikTok.

SPEAKER_01 40:36

But you should follow us there. So go find us on TikTok and we'll tell you about all the good things that happen in the airline industry and um avoid some of these crazy uh t hacks, if you will. Um, but yeah, make sure to uh to follow us on TikTok and thank you for being a part of the Galley Gang. And we're excited to share that we have new merch that we just dropped, and we're so excited about it. Go to twoguysonaplane.com for some new two guys swag. We've got some fun branded items as well as some other aviation themed uh things, and galley gang merch is hitting the stores as well, and we're so excited. So go to twoguysonaplane.com, tap the word shop, and check it out. And thank you for supporting us.

SPEAKER_02 41:23

Thanks for joining us today. We'll see you next time with more humor, heart, and stories from our beverage cart.

SPEAKER_01 41:29

This episode was brought to you by Staff Traveler, the number one non rev app. If you travel on standby tickets and are looking to make your journey easy and stress free, check out the Staff Traveler app in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. Visit Stafftraveler.comslash two guys to learn more and sign up.